10 Gaming Franchises that Need to Make a Sequel

Happy man holding a video game controller sitting on a couch playing a game.Photo byRoman Samborskyi via Shutterstock

Home gaming made a splash with the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s and has been an integral part of our lives ever since.

Some beloved retro games faded quietly into the abyss, while others became franchises with generational appeal. Unfortunately, some of the best franchises also got lost in the shuffle.

Here are some beloved gaming franchises we want more of!

Command and Conquer

One of the oldest RTS (real-time strategy) games, the Command and Conquer franchise was adored by fans. However, many users thought the series went downhill after it was bought out by EA (Electronic Arts).

“EA ruined a franchise that had everything going for it. They arguably ruined real-time strategy as a whole,” claimed one user.

“When I started playing, it wasn't EA; it was Westwood.... EA was just the death knell the series,” stated another.

Others pointed out that a new game is coming that could revive the RTS genre.

“Tempest Rising is scheduled to release this year. From the looks of it, seems like it’s a full Command and Conquer successor in spirit,” One Redditor shared.

Legacy of Kain

The Legacy of Kain is an action-adventure series with numerous releases in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Some users said they’d love to see a new release in the franchise.

“A modern 3rd person action RPG for Kain and then Soul Reaver would be unbelievable,” said one user. “I’d love to see all the LoK cinematics redone to modern standards. The Malek fight and fall from grace alone would be worth to see redone.”

SSX

SSX was an EA winter sports franchise with iterations released throughout the early 200s. One user said they would love new games in the series but would settle for a remaster of the sequel, SSX Tricky.

Others agreed, reminiscing about their favorite moments in the game.

“Going down the entire mountain at the end of SSX3 was one of my favorite gaming moments ever,” shared one user.

Timesplitters

Reddit users loved Timesplitters and don’t understand why the franchise ended.

“Please someone explain to me how not making more TimeSplitters games is the correct business decision because I am not convinced,” opined one user after sharing an essay on why the game is so great. “Not only is the main campaign fun and amusing, but the multiplayer was like a whole second game. Fast-paced shooter with insane numbers of bots, and you could alter the weapon sets on the levels to make it as interesting or challenging as you wanted to,” they shared.

“Best PS2 game. The multiplayer and map maker modes were off the chainwax,” said another.

Others shared that a new game is, in fact, in production. “We got announcement of a new TimeSplitters in 2021. It's happening. Hope we hear something this year.”

Gauntlet

Beginning in the early days of the home console, Gauntlet spanned until the mid-2010s.

Some users think the nearly 30-year run wasn’t enough and want new games from the series. “I used to play Gauntlet Legends all the time when I was a kid and had a ton of fun with Gauntlet 2014! I would love a return to that classic dungeon crawler style,” shared one.

Others agreed but lamented gaming studios’ neglect of couch co-ops. “So few companies are still producing couch co-op. It Takes Two is some of the most fun my wife and I have had gaming, but it was so short. We crave more!!” exclaimed one user.

Tenchu

One user said they’d love to see more Tenchu games because “There's far too few pure stealth games anymore, and I can only play so much Hitman. (I play a TON of Hitman).”

“Sekiro started out as a Tenchu sequel but ended up diverging too much in terms of gameplay during development. AFAIK FromSoft still own the rights to it, though,” another user shared.

Jak and Daxter

The PlayStation action-adventure classic was last re-released in 2017, and users want more.

“Jak 3 was my favorite game for a long time and still holds up really well. It's just good plain fun to play,” stated one user.

“I was hoping this game would be in this thread. I wanna play Jak and Daxter again...I miss it,” shared another.

Dark Cloud

One user earned gold by commenting that they’d love to see a new game in the Dark Cloud Series.

“Oooo! This one tugged at my nostalgia... Another Dark Cloud would be wonderful!” added another.

Another offered hope to those wishing for a new game. “I still play Dark Chronicle (Dark Cloud 2 for US peeps) regularly,” they shared. “Level-5 have recently announced a resurgence for the Switch (Fantasy Life and Professor Layton both returning this year), so maybe there is hope!”

Splinter Cell

“I was 10 the last time a game came out in that franchise… I’m now 20 years old, still waiting for a — sequel to blacklist, and the only thing they’ve given us in regards to a game is a remake nobody asked for in which it is being written by people without experience,” stated one user, obviously anxious for a new game in the Splinter Cell series.

Others showed skepticism that the production company could create a new game that would live up to the hype of the original. “Ubisoft back then did great with Splinter Cell. Ubisoft today, I'm not too sure if I'd be too keen on them bringing Sam back,” said one.

Black and White

Black and White had two releases in the early 2000s, but some users hope the series will eventually get new life.

“There are no games like it, and it was really fun!” shared one user. “It was a game where you were a god, and you had a creature to help/terrorize your villagers, and depending on what you did, your beast would look like a demon or and angel,” they added, describing why they loved the game.

Other users said Black and White would be perfect for modern VR technology. “This game would be amazing with Oculus Rift,” stated one user.

Video Game Classics Need New Life

Though we haven’t heard of every game the Redditors shared, we’re hoping production studios take note. A new Gauntlet (or any couch coop) would be fantastic!

Many of these older games would get far more world building and development in modern systems, so it would be fun to see them expanded.

This article was produced and syndicated by Partners in Fire.